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Play Therapy

Boundaries: Why we need them

This picture represents an activity I lead with the

boys to focus on improving their

boundaries and peer relationships. All four of the boys have trouble

recognizing the difference between appropriate and

inappropriate social boundaries. For this

activity each boy had his own L&R box in which

they were instructed to stay in. I read a story in which every time they heard left or right they were to jump into the appropriate box. This

activity was effective in teaching the boys to

This picture represents different exercise

activities conducted with the boys. The boys were instructed to choose a

card which represented the exercise they would be doing (spade, clubs, etc.) and the number

represented how many reps. The exercises were

jumping jacks, hops, cross crawls and arm circles.

This exercise was to improve the boy’s gross and fine motor skills. The By: Victoria

Olsen Via: Boys

Town

Boys Townhttp://www.boystown.org/locations/new-england/Pages/default.aspx

58 Flanagan Rd

Q&A

The Importance of Play Therapy i==IntIntervention

All four of the boys that participated in my weekly play therapy intervention sessions came to Boys Town from abusive homes. None of the boys came to Boys Town with effective coping skills and lacked in the skills they should have for their age group. The boys are all enrolled in weekly therapy sessions and attend extra tutoring sessions. Play therapy intervention is designed for them to have fun without knowing that they are actually learning. Each week I plan different activities, with the help of my supervisor, in which I feel would be effective in improving different skills. The skills that I focused on most were fine motor skills, appropriate boundaries and listening. Lack of listening skills and boundaries are prevalent among children who come from abusive homes. Play therapy interventions allows the children to improve these skills in a therapeutic, enjoyable atmosphere. Play relieves feelings of stress and boredom, connects us to people in a

positive way, stimulates creative thinking and exploration, regulates our emotions, and boosts our ego (Landreth, 2002). More often than not, troubled youth become agitated and distracted when learning. Play therapy is an effective spin on learning techniques that is easy to keep a child’s attention. The activities that I found to be most productive working with four elementary aged boys are activities that allow physical activity. Young boys naturally have a desire to be active and run around, especially those with behavioral issues. Activities such as red light/green light and obstacle courses allow the boys to remain active while also practicing effective listening skills. To also improve appropriate boundaries as well, you can create a “space” which can be a circle drawn with chalk, or lanes drawn with chalk for red light/green light in which they must remain in their assigned locations. Play therapy can be extremely effective when working with trouble children if administered correctly.

Why play therapy?Play therapy can be an effective method if you feel like you know a troubled youth. Many parents and teachers don’t realize why children aren’t developing as they should be, which could be because of their attention skills. Play therapy could be a solution to better help this child learn.

Does it work?Every child is different so it is impossible to say that it works for everyone. Play therapy has, however, been proven to be effective by many psychologists and mental health professionals. It is worth trying on a child and if found not effective, there are other methods that could be implemented.

Where can I bring my child?There are many places that you can bring a child to practice play therapy intervention. Many different child therapists practice such interventions. These therapists will test different techniques such as art, physical, and